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Monday, March 31, 2014

Hey all! Yay for Monday! Not so much, right? Monday's are pretty boring for me, luckily. But nothing cures a boring day like a gorgeous polish!

Today, I have a polish from one of my fav Indie's - Bliss Polish. Since working with Yvette almost from the beginning, I have been able to watch the brand develop into something really amazing. With each new collection, I am instantly impressed. And after seeing today's beauty, you will be too!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me at a discounted price for my honest review.

Bliss Polish Velvet Rope

Velvet Rope is a blurple (blue/purple) jelly with red shimmer and micro flakies. It is in the same family as Takko Lacquer Kiss The Sky, and Cult Nails Flushed. The big difference is that Velvet Rope has the micro flakies! I think that makes it so much more interesting! Since it is a jelly base, it is one the sheer side. I needed 3 coats for full opacity, which is pretty standard for most jellies. The VNL you see in my pics is not so visible in person. Blame it on a 24 mega pixel camera! Formula was on the thicker side, but not problematic. Again, because it is a jelly, a slower application is needed. But oh so worth it.

(macro)

Excuse me while I swoon over the flakies! Seriously, this polish is just too beautiful for words. Yvette has created a total stunner with Velvet Rope! The full size bottles are currently sold out at the moment, but minis are still available. Be sure to follow Bliss Polish on Facebook and Instagram from restocks and new collection info!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me at a discounted price for my honest review. All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.

Bliss Polish is available on line. Products retail for $8.00 for full size and $4.00 for minis.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Hey everyone! Hope your week went well! Any exciting plans for the weekend? Now that the weather is finally nice, we are having some friends over tomorrow for dinner. Grilling veggies, watching the kids run around and spending the evening outside is probably one of my favorite things to do.

One of my favorite colors for spring, is a fresh mint green. In the color palette for Spring and Summer, Pantone included Hemlock, a shade of green that is seasonal perfection. Zoya chose to represent Hemlock in the spring collection with Dillon.

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

Zoya Dillon (Awaken Collection Spring 2014)

Dillon is a mint green with a shimmery foil effect like Hudson (and Rebel coming next week). This color is everything. It is crisp and clean, and will pair well with any spring wardrobe. Formula was polish perfection, and what Zoya is known for. 2 easy coats (almost a one coater) for full coverage. And that shimmer is stand out gorgeous. Love.

Out of the three shimmers from the Awaken collection. Dillon is an easy favorite. As much as I like the other two, this shade will always be favorite. Even if I do have 10 plus mint green polishes in my stash already. If you are not a hoarder like me, then I highly recommend Dillon. Many other polishes in this color family do not boast such a good formula or have the amazing shimmer.

So what is your go-to shade for spring? Are you a mint green lover too?

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use. All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.Zoya Dillon and the rest of the Awaken collection, is available on line. Products retail from $9-$10 a piece.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Hey guys and gals! After the dismal swatchfest with the Floss Gloss polishes yesterday, I needed a way to redeem them. No better way to make a polish worthy of owning is to use it for nail art! So that's what I did!

Used:

Floss Gloss - Lean

Floss Gloss - Wave Pool

Saran Wrap

Ahhh now this makes everything better! I love how this turned out! Saran wrap manis are ridiculously easy, and take no skills at all! Not to mention how awesome the results are! These are super fun and make me feel a little better about the Floss Gloss polishes.

If you want to try out your own version of a Saran Wrap mani, Nailed It, has a really great tutorial. I promise, it is so easy!

So what do you think? Have you ever had a really bad experience with a polish? Have you found useful ways to use crappy polishes?

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Hey everyone, happy Wednesday! So I am official obsessed with bright shades, and my recent tax refund fueled hauls have proven that! After my Lime Crime spree, I went on a hunt for more polishes like those. This is my first experience with Floss Gloss, but I have been eyeing their creations for some time. When they had a sale recently, I totally caved and bought a few!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

Floss Gloss Lean

Lean is a vivid almost neon purple. This is Floss Gloss's version of Pantone's color of the year, Radiant Orchid. It is almost neon, but not entirely. The color is incredibly saturated, but doesn't glow like most neon polishes. I soooo love the color! Pretty sure this is gonna be one of my color obsessions this year. And that's totally fine with me, cause it's fantastic. Formula was good, smooth and creamy, self leveling and opaque in two coats.

Floss Gloss Wave Pool

Wave Pool is a neon aqua cream. This is a true neon, right down to the crap formula. While the color is fantastic, the formula will stop me from wearing this alone ever again. Strictly nail art for this baby. Unless a bit of thinner fixes some of the issues. It is a thick streaky lumpy mess. You can see some of the unevenness on my pointer and ring fingers in the bottle pic above. Even after two coats of top coat, it still didn't want to even out.

Floss Gloss Pony

Pony is a neon peach cream. It is a lot brighter in person, and kinda freaked my camera out a little! I was hoping for a more subdued color, but it is way too much for my pasty self. Formula was actually worse than Wave Pool, if you can believe it. After three coats, I still had some patchy spots, and some leveling issues.

Floss Gloss Con Limon

Con Limon is a neon lime green cream. The color is insane! It has just enough yellow undertones that I can wear it without lobster hands. Again, the formula was a big let down. Instead of it being thick, Con Limon was incredibly watery. This is four coats. I never have to use that many coats! Not even with jellies! Even at three, it was still a streaky mess.

Needless to say, I am soooo disappointed! Not only with the formula, but with the polishes themselves. The bottles are minis, running at .18 flz for $8.00, while most brands (including indies) offer .5 flz for roughly the same price. These are less than half! While I think the colors are really fun, and I love that Floss Gloss is a lady business, I just can't get over the glaring problems. If you don't mind paying the price for tiny bottles, Lean is a great color with a great formula. And maybe, if the rest were as good, I wouldn't be so upset.

Well, I apologize for the not so fun post, but I wanted to give my truthful experience with these polishes, because I haven't really seen one. Most blogs have glossed over the poor formulas. I'm not sure why, because the whole point of a swatch/review post is to give the most accurate information. And I will always do so.

Okay, enough negativity! Today, I have shown you the swatches and tomorrow I have a fun nail art post with Lean and Wave Pool. Cause when life gives you lemon, you paint that shit gold! (atmosphere, anyone?)

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Hey friends! Happy Sunday! This is the first Sunday Stamped post with my new camera! I haven't really had too much time to play with my stamping gear, until this weekend. I missed it!

Sometimes inspiration can come in the strangest ways, like the name of a polish. O.P.I. Amazon...Amazoff is a great color, and the name evokes so many jungle/tribal images that I had to use it some how!

Friday, March 21, 2014

Hello lovely people! It finally feels like spring here in Texas! The weather has been gorgeous and I am craving all things bright and cheery. The spring and summer polish collections are popping up all over the place and what better time to take a look at the trend colors for the season!

Pantone, the masters of color creation, have come up with a spectacular palette for this season. Gone are the boring pastels. For 2014, it is all about the bright rich color, paired with a more sophisticated nude.

As a lover of brighter shades, this palette is everything I could ever want! The colors are phenomenal. Radiant Orchid, Pantone's "Color Of The Year," is perfection. Every main stream polish company has taken these colors and created some amazing collections. I love them all!

Zoya's spring collection, Awaken, kept to the softer side of the palette, although I am hoping the summer collection amps it up a notch. Zoya can do incredible things with color, which is why it is my favorite brand! Like in the fall, Zoya created a fantastic version of Radiant Orchid.

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

Zoya Hudson (Awaken collection, Spring 2014)

Hudson is a purple orchid with silvery shimmer. The shimmer is outstanding! It has a very foil-y feel to it that Zoya is known for, without being over the top. I love this shade, and it is spring time perfection. Formula was good, and on par for what I expect from Zoya. It has a slight thickness due to the shimmer, but definitely not problematic. Two coats for full coverage, and an average dry time. Photo is shown with top coat.

Hudson is a great representation for Radiant Orchid, and one that is a universally flattering shade. This is a polish that everyone can enjoy!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use. All opinions are my own. For more info, please see my disclaimer.Zoya Hudson and the rest of the Awaken collection is available on line. Products retail for $9 a piece.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Hey guys and gals! How is your Wednesday? Mine is relatively quiet. Which is good, because I am feeling a little on the blah side. Hormones. What can you do, right?

I am prepping the blog for the Spring/Summer Color Trend posts and getting to play with lots of really pretty polish. But I am kind of cheating, because today's NOTD is using one of the O.P.I. Brazil polishes, and I haven't posted the swatch/review of it yet. Normally, I prefer to do that before any nail art related posts, but I can't help myself!

Sometimes I use a color and inspiration just hits, and I know it is a perfect base for some nail art. That's how it was with this polish! I was swatching it and couldn't leave it alone. It is such a great orange! I had a few tribal designs pinned on Pinterest recently and decided to give one of those a go. The original design is from Magnifique Nails. She has lots of really great tutorials, so be sure to check her out!

I promise there will be the swatch/review of Where Did Suzi's Man-Go very soon. Like I previously mentioned, it will be part of the Color Trend series that I am starting again this Friday. But if you happen to see it, definitely grab a bottle, because it is awesome!

Monday, March 17, 2014

Hey everyone! Happy St. Patrick's Day! I don't have a great nail art related post, but I do have an awesome green polish!

If you haven't seen it yet, O.P.I.'s Brazil collection is pretty damn amazing, and for once I actually want every polish in it. I am not usually a huge O.P.I. fan (but they make a killer cream), but this one really is calling my name! I have several of them picked out for the upcoming seasonal Color Trend series and I had to grab a few more for my personal stash as well! The first one I got was Amazon...Amazoff.

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

O.P.I. - Amazon...Amazoff

Amazon...Amazoff is a rich deep green-leaning teal cream with the tiniest bit of silvery shimmer. In all honesty, I have yet to see the shimmer in my bottle, except from the pics when I swatched it. But the color is so vibrant, that I really don't care! This is 2 coats, almost a one coater, but I did have a couple of patchy spots. Super smooth formula and application - one that I am noticing is pretty consistent with O.P.I. and I love it. As with any color like this, it is a stainer. I doubled up on my base coat, and still had some issues!

Pretty appropriate for today, if you opt for being less inconspicuous about adding green to your wardrobe. Aside from that, I love the color any time, and cannot wait to try it out for some nail art. This, along with the rest of the Brazil collection are pretty much a perfect palette for spring.summer nail art!

This also happens to be my first post with my new camera! It is a Nikon D3200 and I am using the 18-35mm lens that came with it. I also have a neutral density filter on the lens to cut down on some of the glare. I love the way the pics came out, but it took a loooong time to find a good combo of camera/light/photoshop settings! I can't really get good macros at this point, but I am hoping to remedy that soon with some close up lenses (a macro lens is way too expensive!) While I like the overall result, I will be tweaking things over the next few weeks to find my best pics. I love the clarity, but that glare is way too much! So I hope you all can forgive a bit of inconsistent photography for a while! But hopefully, in the end, I will be bringing amazing nail art and swatch pics to the ol' blog!

Hope you all have a great St. Pat's and if you are of legal drinking age, go order yourself an Irish Carbomb - it is one of my fav bar drinks ever!

Friday, March 14, 2014

Hey y'all! TGIF you guys! I made it through the whole week with posting! That in itself is an accomplishment! Usually something happens and I forget. I am so bad about scheduling posts ahead of time. So yay for me for being productive!

Since today is the last day, I wanted to kinda end with a bang and do a really complicated design. One of my favorites, is the tribal mani. I have only done it once when I did the 31 Day nail art challenge, and have often wanted to do it again!

This time around, I wanted to do a gradient base, to see how well the Lime Crime polishes blended together. These two work really well, I'm pleased to report! I also think this design is killer for summer time!

I have had a total blast this week, and it has given my creativity a much needed boost. With all the swatches I have been doing to catch up from my hiatus, nail art has been put on hold, and it felt good to give the new Winstonia brushes a thorough test run. Look for the review on those coming soon!

I am still paying around with my new camera and working out the best settings/lighting configurations for nail pics. It has been kinda overwhelming! I'm hoping to transition to it next week! Until then, hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Lime Crime Les Desserts d'Antoinette is available on line at Harlow & Co. Products retail for $8.50 CAD (that is $7.73 USD) a piece

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Hello friends! So this fun filled week packed with nail art and Lime Crime awesomeness is almost over! But I couldn't let it go without doing a springy floral design! I mean, with these bright pastel beauties, floral is a no brainer, right?!

My favorite flowers are daisies. Plain and simple and beautiful daisies. Nothing makes me smile like a bouquet of these adorable flowers! So, since I have never done a daisy design, I figured now would be a most excellent opportunity!

How cute are these?!? Gah, I want to hug them...but that would be weird. Okay! So, just like the flower, these were super simple to do, and turned out just like I wanted - which never happens! I may have a hard time topping them, these are easily my favorite from this week!

Tomorrow is the last post I have planned for the Lime Crime nail art week, and I'm thinking tribal! You gotta end something like this with a bang, right?

Lime Crime Les Desserts d'Antoinette is available on line at Harlow & Co. Products retail for $8.50 CAD (that is $7.73 USD) a piece

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Hi everyone! Hope you all are doing well on this fine Wednesday! We are thoroughly enjoying Spring Break, although my daughter is already missing school. But I am enjoying the relaxed schedule and the extra time for fun outings. Lime Crime Nail Art Week continues today with a mani that screams spring to me! I have yet another design inspired by the awesome Sammie, of The Nailasaurus. What can I say? She is a huge inspiration!

Used:

Lime Crime - Milky Way

Lime Crime - Parfait Day

Lime Crime - Peaches ♥ Cream

Lime Crime - Crema De Limón

Lime Crime - Pastelchio

Lime Crime - Once In A Blue Mousse

Lime Crime - Lavendairy

China Glaze - Glistening Snow

Winstonia nail art brush

I almost thought this wouldn't turn out. As I was going along and adding colors, I started to get worried that I was covering the first layers too much. In the end, everything turned out and I love the result! Which just proves, that it's a good idea to stick with a design til the end!

So I hope this little mani has put a little spring fever in your heart, since it seems winter isn't quite done with us yet! And I hope you guys can see the versatility of the Lime Crime polishes, and continue to do so throughout the week!

Lime Crime Les Desserts d'Antoinette is available on line at Harlow & Co. Products retail for $8.50 CAD (that is $7.73 USD) a piece

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Hey everyone! So today is the first post of Lime Crime Nail Art Week! I am super excited about all the posts I have planned for the week and I am so in love with the Lime Crime polishes.

The first design I wanted to do is a pastel version of Galaxy nails. I initially saw them on the most awesome blog, The Nailasaurus. Oh how I love them!

Used:

Lime Crime - Once In A Blue Mousse

Lime Crime - Milky Way

Lime Crime - Crema De Limón

Lime Crime - Lavendairy

China Glaze - Glistening Snow

Make up sponge

Nail art brush

Dotting tool

Though my version turned out a bit softer and not as vibrant as Sammies, I am definitely found of them. They have such a dreamy, ethereal quality that is just amazing. I could have spent more time building up the colors, but, honestly I am not bothered by it at all!

All the Lime Crime polishes are incredibly easy to work with, and I must say, that after this first attempt, I can see endless opportunities for their use! I hope you guys enjoyed this post and are looking forward to the rest of the week, because I am way to excited!

Lime Crime Les Desserts d'Antoinette is available on line at Harlow & Co. Products retail for $8.50 CAD (that is $7.73 USD) a piece.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Hey guys and gals! It sure does feel good to be blogging again on a regular basis! I sure did miss this little space and all of you.

Today, I have the entire Lime Crime nail polish collection, Les Desserts d'Antoinette, swatched up for you guys! When I first started blogging, this collection was all over the place, but I wasn't sure how badly I needed it. Once I started seeing all the amazing nail art designs that came from these lovelies, I began to have some serious lemmings. I finally caved and asked my wonderful, habit supporting husband for the whole set for Valentine's Day. They are sold out on the Lime Crime website, but Harlow & Co. has them in stock and for roughly the same price. And even though I had to wait a little bit longer for them to arrive, I am so thrilled to have them among my polish babies.

And since these are absolutely perfect for nail art, I am devoting this whole week to Lime Crime designs! But first the swatches and review!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

Lime Crime Les Desserts d'Antoinette - Parfait Day

Parfait Day is a bright pastel pink cream. It seriously reminds me of bubble gum! Great color if you like softer pinks. Formula was really goo for a "pastel" shade, a bit on the thicker side, but definitely not problematic like most pale colors. 2 coats for full coverage. The first went on a bit streaky, but the second smoothed it all out.

Lime Crime Les Desserts d'Antoinette - Peaches ♥ Cream

Peaches ♥ Cream is a bright pastel yellow-toned orange cream. This is a bit more neon in person and not the best for my skin tone, but man do I love that color! This was the thickest out of all of them, but still not really an issue, just something to be aware of. 2 coats, streaky on the first, with a leveling second coat.

Lime Crime Les Desserts d'Antoinette - Crema De Limón

Crema De Limón is a bright pastel yellow cream. This yellow is totally like whoa, in your face bright! But yet, it still manages to have that soft creamy look of a pastel. And for a yellow, this formula is straight up amazing. Not as thick as Parfait Day and Peaches ♥ Cream, I still needed 2 coats, but had no issue at all.

Lime Crime Les Desserts d'Antoinette - Pastelchio

Pastelchio is a bright pastel lime green cream. Now this one is definitely neon. It practically glows! Again, one that is no good with my skin tone, but since I plan to use these strictly for nail art, I really don't care! Another two coater, pretty much the same as before.

Lime Crime Les Desserts d'Antoinette - Once In A Blue Mousse

Once In A Blue Mousse is a bright pastel sky blue cream. Out of the whole set, this one has the most "pastel"feel, almost a dusty quality to it. The formula was a lot thinner than the previous ones. 2 coats for full coverage, and once again, streaky on the first with the second smoothing everything out.

Lime Crime Les Desserts d'Antoinette - Lavendairy

Lavendairy is a bright pastel lavender purple cream. Like Once In A Blue Mousse, this one has an almost dusty look to it, and not as bright s the others. Out of all of them, this is my favorite and most wearable for me. The color is super pretty and great for spring. Thinner formula, needing 2 coats for full coverage.

Lime Crime Les Desserts d'Antoinette - Milky Ways

Milky Ways is an almond cream, similar to O.P.I. My Vampire Is Buff. We all know how much I love that shade, so this is a no brainer and once again, perfect for nail art purposes. Out of all the polishes, this is also the only that needed a third coat. After two, there were some visible patchy spots.

I frickin love this whole set and I CANNOT wait to play around with them! I really think they are worth getting, especially if nail art is something you are into. And I really hope Lime Crime comes out with more collections, because this is just too good to not have a follow up.

And, just to be clear, I am well aware of the controversy over Lime Crime and the founder Doe Deer. Just because I purchased the polish does not mean that I am an ignorant consumer. I honestly wanted them and felt that it was worth the purchase. I hope that anyone reading who may be against the company can respect my choices and leave it at that.

Please Note: Products were purchased by me for my personal use, All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.

Lime Crime Les Desserts d'Antoinette is available on line at Harlow & Co. Products retail for $8.50 CAD (that is $7.73 USD) a piece.

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Hello all! Hope you weekend is going well. SXSW starts this weekend, but I am lame and not partaking in the festivities. Oh well, at least I have nail polish, right?!

Today I have the March Maven box from Julep. I stuck with my original selection "BoHo Glam" this time around.

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use

Julep March Maven Riviera Collection - BoHo Glam

Julep - Elisa

Elisa is a pastel blue toned purple crelly with a delicate silver shimmer. The shimmer is very subtle but adds a nice amount of depth to the overall look. For a pastel, this is an incredible polish. It is bright and rich, without being chalky. Formula was good, and I like the idea of making pastels as a crelly. The first coat was a little patchy, but a good medium thick second coat covered the nail nicely. I don't usually go for colors like this, but I actually like it a lot. It is very springy, and a nice shade of purple, not something you see very often.

Julep - Harriet

Harriet is a bright red/orange coral crelly. It is slightly more transparent than Elisa, and has a more squishy look to it. As many coral polishes as I have gotten last year, I am a little burnt out on the color, but this is so vibrant and juicy and screams summer that I can't help but love it! 2 coats for full oppacity, and no issues with application.

Julep Lip Gloss - Enchanting

Enchanting is a sheer, but build-able, watermelon pink lip gloss. This is probably my favorite add on in a while. I love this color for spring and summer, and I love the lip gloss! It is nice and smooth, but not sticky. The color pay off good, and I like that you can add more color and more depth with an extra coat. It also has a subtle vanilla scent that is really nice. I am definitely going to be wearing this a lot this season, and it has already made it's way into my make up bag in my purse!

This month's box was win for me, which is a good and bad thing. The last box I got was December's and I was so underwhelmed that I didn't even bother posting it. Not to mention the next two months were pretty boring as well. But this set is fantastic! And while I was considering cancelling my subscription, I'm now torn. I'm hoping next month will be just as good!